Improvement in sugab-cane mills



Du J. POWERS.

SUGAR GANE MILL.

No. 626,499. Patented Peb. 26, 1667.

' @uitrit gister:L garrot @frn n. -J.Pow1tns, OF MADISON, Wisconsin, AssiGN'OR To BUFFALO AcmcULTUnA-L MACH-INE WORKS, or BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

' Letters Patent V.1l/'0. 62,499, datdFebruai-y 26, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN i SUGAR-CANE MILLS.

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A'I.( A I4L -WHM IT 4MAY CONCERN:

Beit known that I, J POWERS, of Madison', in the county of Dane, and State of Wisconsimhave invented a new and improved Mill for Expressing the Juice from Sugar, Cane or Sorghum Stalks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, 'reference 'being'had to the accompanying drawingsrmaking part of this speciiication -Figure 1 being a sido' elevation of the mill.'

QFigure 2, aplan of the same.

.Figure 3, a transverse' vertical section thereof, -in a plane indicated by the line n: figs. 1 and 2. Like lettersfdesignate corresponding parts Vin -all ofv the figures. .The canes or stalks [are passed .between three pressurerollers,-G, at` the top, and HH at the bottom,'all Amounted in a strong frame, A.. The two bottom rollers,- H H, are situated side by side, alittle distance from each other,` and the top roller, l(if, issituated centrally over the two, so as to be in contact, or nearly so,with both. It has on ono'end a cog-wheel, E, which` gears into a cog-wheel, D, on each of 'the bottom rollers, H H. 'Intoboth o f .these latter cog-wheels, below, also gears a. driving AcogfwheeblG, on a. shaft, B,'vvhieh connects with the horse power or other-driving power.. The shaft B' has -a single bearing in the bottoin of the frame, Vallowing it to havesome angular adjustment. This "gearing of the driving-wheel into the wheels of both of the bottom rollers,3and' these 'folierwlersbth into the single top roller-wheel, divines the 'strain upon the gears, and equalzes the action of the rollers, and is, therefore, very advantageous. The gear-wheels on the rollers -are attached thereto by having screw-,threads cut Ain their shaft apertures, and corresponding screw-threads 'on the'lhnbs or journals of the shafts of the rollers, so that the wheels'alre secured upon the rollers, closely against their ends, as indicated .at u, in iig. "3. The screw-th'readsare outright or left, as the case may be, so that'the motion of thefrollers shall always have a tendency tov screw the wheels on' tighten And'to prevent th wheels from ever unscrewing, fastening screws, v v, 3, may pass through them linto the ends of the rollers; orkeyll maybe driven 4into grooves in theshafts and wheels, in the usual manner of preventingwheels from turning on their shafts.. The journals hh of the two bottom rollers H H,'tnrn in bearings, resting' immediately upon the iramenof the machine inthe ordinary manner. But the journals ggof theitop roller G rest in movable bearings, L, lwhich slide vertically instandard's II, (attached `to the frame,) by means of grooves it', fig.'3, tting over theinner-edges of the forked tops ofwthe standards, substantially as shown in the drawings. Then, over thesemovable bearings strap bolts; M M, pass, fitting into grooves in their surfaces, and thenceextend down through thc strong'frame timbers, and are fastened by nuts, m m, below said timbers. These bolts being made 4of wrought iron, give great strengtlrto the bearings, so as to resist: any upward pressureor -strain against the .top roller G,`to which it may be subjected, while Athe'stnndardsy I I, being littlef more than guides to keep the4 bearings in place, may be of cast iron', and of comparatively little weight and strength. Thismethod of mounting, also, allows the bearings to .be adjusted up and down, a'siesired.` It also aords an excellent vmeans of giving elasticity'to the bearings, which is required, in order that the top roller G may yield to the various'siles ovlamounts of the canes passing through, and yet press down upon the bottom rollers with all the force requisite; ,'Ifbis elasticity is produced by inserting India-rubber washers N N- between the nuts mm and the timbers of the frame, as represented, or the equivalent of said washers. By turning the nuts m m any desired degree of force may be given tothe pressure. of the India-rubber springs. It is desirable, if not necessary to the best action of the rollers, that the top roller G should have liberty to adjust itself to the bottom rollers H H, some times being closer to one, and sometimes to the other, according as the material may vary between thetwo sets of pressng'surfaces, and equalize the pressure on the rollers, and also throughout the length of the rollers. This is accomplished in the ,most simple manner by widening the journal .apertures d d of the bearings L L in a lateral or horizontal direction, so as to allowthe journals g g of the roller G to have a lateral play, as shown in lig. 1. 'The extent of this widening is about proportionately indicatedin' the figur-e. The tn rn plate or dorinexgrest Q, situated in the space between the bottom rollers HVH, under the top roller Gal-to prevent' the canes or stalks from passing down between the bottom rollers, is4 here secured in place by an improved means.' It is attached to a rod, P, the ends of which extend out lthrough apertures in the standards I I, at the sides of the machine, large enough to allow all the necessary play or adjustment of the rod for the purpose. The rod is secured in any fixedspositom'by tightening up nuts pp ou tho screw ends of the rod, against the standardsl I I. By loosening the nuts,thc turn plate may be adjusted, or may adapt itself to the proper position, where it is held by again tightening the nuts against the standards. l "lhe gear-wheels D E are covered above with n strip,- S, of' sheet iron, to keep them from becoming clogged with the stalks, and to prevent" any accident by their being so'olose tothe working partei` the mill. This strip is .secured to the frame atthe ends, and the middle-is kept in position andsupported, if necessary, by a guide, fuextending down from the top of the strip into avgroove at the end of the roller` G, where theilanges l Z ofthe rollers H H run. This guide, also, has a projection or tooth at the side, to clear out,anyobstruotionsgthat might get into the groove. The pressed enne l or bagasse, as' it comes from the rollers, is conveyed away' on un endless belt-carrier, R, als indicated in iig. 1. What I claim .u s my invention, andfdesiiro'toA secure by Letters Patent, isfy 1. The combination of strap bolts M M, and India-rubber blocks or springs,.when `applied vto the journals of the'pressure rollers, substantially as and for vthe purpose herenspeciied.

. 2. I also claim the laterally widened journal apertures d d, of the bearings L L, in combination 'with-strap bolts M M, and India-rubber springs, for the purpose of allowing a sidev play to the top roller G, substantially as herein specified. y

3. -I also-claim the adjustment of' the turn plate Q, by the means substantially as specified. The above specification of my improved mill'for expressing the juice from sugarcane or sorghum stalks D. J. POWERS.

signed by me this SIst'da-yof May, 1864.

Witnesses:

Cms. W. Asxnw, GEORGE GILLAfr'r'. 

